Corey Graves is on the announce team,
And oh hey! Look who we have coming up next
Kevin Owens vs. CJ Parker
-Kevin Owens get the first entrance, not what I expected. The NXT crowd does a really good job at buying into, and subsequently respecting kayfabe, yelling Fight Owens Fight. The actual WWE Universe could learn something from this crowd.
-CJ Parker comes out with his douchiest sign yet, "My Fight Matters". When he holds up his sign, the ref (who I didn't know was Drake Younger until the crowd pointed it out) looks super sassy about it. Kevin himself looks like he's torn between laughter and murder when they cut to him.
-Speaking of murder, Kevin hits two clotheslines and the Cannonball to start
-Kevin also does a suicide dive. It's a miracle CJ is still alive
-I've determined that CJ Parker is my favorite jobber. While Kevin's offense is amazing and impactful, CJ's offense is so dweeby that he actually plays the roll of the jobber well.
-Oh shit, that clothesline.
-I think Kevin got opened up by that botched-as-heck spinning kick
-Not sure how I feel about Kevin's finisher being a Pop Up powerbomb as opposed to a regular one, but I guess I'll soften on it if every powerbomb he does isn't a popup
5.5/10 hands down one of the best squashes I've ever watched.
Neville warm up+promo: Awesome
He sounds like a major tool here, but makes solid points, that this is all self inflicted on Sami. He also seems to have less of an accent somehow, which is one of the few things I disliked about Neville, so good for him
Lucha Dragons video package: Great! I loved the old school urban vibe the package effects had, crazy colors etc, Sin Cara talking was kept to a minimum, Kallisto sounded really good. My only gripe was that it didn't transition from the crazy urban effects to the grainy, black and white style and got an equal piece on the Vaudevillans. To be fair however, and this is not their fault, but Gotch and English aren't nearly as exciting.
The Vaudevillains vs The Lucha Dragons for the NXT Tag Team Championship
-They should just turn Gotch and English babyface, there's no preventing them from being cheered-I thought we were going to get a cool double team early, but Sin Cara just countered and made the Vaudevillains look like doofuses.
-On the other hand, the Luchas are pulling off a bunch of fun things early.
-People are chanting "Let's go Gotch" I have no idea why as he hasn't done anything impactful all match
English yells "Show them your strength" at Gotch which I liked.
-We get a cool momentum shift sequence(don't think I've ever seen a tag made mid backslide like that), but the way English ended it was...meh. If the rolls had been reversed, and Gotch had done it would've been much better.
-I hope "Put your dukes up" becomes the Vaudevillains catchphrase at some point.
-Huh, a schoolboy out of the ring, that's unique
-Sometimes I get sad, and then I watch Kallisto wrestle
-The way that they took English out was interesting
-The replay reveals that English shoved Gotch out of the way, Gotch didn't just run away.
5.75/10, for some really crisp looking offense by Aiden, as well as the finish
Becky Lynch helps Sasha with her jacket: Awesome, really makes Becky look like a brainwashed sidekick
Tye Dillenger vs Baron Corbin
-When the announcer said Tye was from Niagra Falls Canada, I immediately imagined Tye being born in the actual falls, thus becoming "Tye Dillenger The Sea God."-Apparently Owens is getting an exclusive interview on next week's NXT, cool!
-The way Tye's heart sank when the motorcycle rev played was a fantastic touch
- Man, Baron looks like a badass. I hope they start selling those wolf jackets
-Everytime they don't tell us which Kansas City Baron is from I come closer to losing my mind
-I like that Baron's matches are getting slightly longer match by match, makes it feel like there's at least some sense of progression
-Why is Bull in the crowd? He could've just come out from the back
-I will admit, his slow clap make me laugh
No Rating, squash
-Sami Zayn interview. I really like how they've built Sami in this feud. You could see why he would want to challenge himself, but the logical part of your brain is screaming about how dumb of a risk the whole thing is.
Itami/Baylor/Acension video package: Cool! The Hogan introducing him thing from Japan is kayfabe. Also when he was kicking the crap out of the Ascension by himself he reminded me so much of Jet Li, how he could just walk into a room and kick ass. Also the team of Hideo and Balor are essentially what would happen if you teamed up Norman Reedus and Jet Li for an action flick.
Hideo Itami and Finn Balor vs The Ascension
I love Itami's Dragonball Z looking giBalor's entrance! Taz and Boogeyman may be filing a class action against him though
-Really fast pace to start, Hideo is the scrappy underdog and The Ascension slow it down
-Props to Hideo for actually attempting to put up a fight in the corner
-Konnor shows brilliance by trying to break up the hot tag, and then breaking it up from outside the ring
-Those dropkicks by Finn
-Than enzuguri by Finn
-That crazy Reverse DDT
-Hideo teasing the GTS was perfect. I really hope they let him use it, and book it like Kobashi's Burning Hammer, like he only uses it 8 or so times, but that's to end big matches
-PELE
-That double foot stomp!
7.5/10, Balor proved himself to me tonight!
Rene Young interviews Roman Reigns: A Roman interview. Regardless how you feel about Roman, but being the first technical NXT alum to be champion would be amazing.
Ric Flair shows up with Charlotte: Lame, especially if Flair won't be at ringside
Charlotte/Sasha video package: How can she be a babyface calling her self genetically superior? I suppose that, next to Sasha, everyone is a babyface? Sasha has a bitchin necklace, and also calls Charlotte basic.
Charlotte vs Sasha Banks for the NXT Woman's Champion
-Sasha stealing Charlotte's t-shirt is fantastic-Man, Sasha is ruthless in the opening minutes
-You get the idea that both women hate each other
-THAT DOUBLE KNEE
-Why the Bankrupt into the surfboard isn't Sasha's finishing move is beyond me
-Never thought I'd write this, but brutal hairpull....and Sasha's using the necklock against Charlotte
-OH MAN that Queen's Suplex
-That Suplex into the neckbreaker sequence, damn!
-Sasha's suicide dive did not look good
-That Moonsault followed by a Senton looked beautiful
-Sasha rammng Charlotte intot he turnbuckle damn
-Off the top rope Natural Selection! I hope that she starts using a Throwback kind of move as well so she has multiple ways to do Natural Selection
6/10,
Let me say this though, I enjoyed this more than Natalya vs Charlotte at Takeover, as it was more unique, and I feel like both women tried new things.
Zayn/Neville video package: Great, made Neville looked like the quasi heel for the match, although it didn't show Sami slapping Neville on the go home show, which was weird
Sami Zayn vs. Adrian Neville for the NXT Championship
-The dramatic going through the curtain music was a nice touch-Sami Zayn sells nervousness like a boss
-Great psychology all throughout
-Multiple Helluva Kicks blocked
-Those false finishes though
That belt tension though
-YAY, he did it
9/10
Post match: AMAZING
So we get the typical celebration, with Neville essentially turning face and hugging it out with Sami, Owens coming down and hugging Zayn, as well as most of the faces in the locker room Eventually, everyone leaves. There was a point where the ref said something to Sami and I thought he was going to reverse it or some shit. Then Owens comes back down....AND TURNS PM SAMI ZAYN. What made this brilliant is that this happened after the commentators had signed off. Owens waiting until after the match, until after the celebration, and waiting until the exact last moment makes him look like a conniving sociopath, and I LOVE IT! I can't wait to see how the next few months of NXT unfolds
